Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

Because each Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship (DDCRF) Program is unique, it is important to visit their individual websites before applying to each program. Please see below for a brief description of each program including links to their individual home page and required coursework details.

• Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons: The foundation of the program at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, which has a long tradition of clinical research and outstanding clinical investigators, integrates the considerable clinical research strengths of the institution with existing and newly developed educational resources. Fellows have a wide range of clinical research opportunities, including those in international/global health. Special meetings and other didactic programs specifically designed for this unique program ensure a comprehensive experience in clinical research training. Columbia Coursework
  
  
• Harvard Medical School: The Harvard program emphasizes opportunity for medical students to develop original insights, rather than simply implement received wisdom. With mentorship from senior investigators of their choosing, our fellows engage in a variety of hands-on projects, including International clinical research (HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa). We seek applicants attracted to our blend of experiential and formal learning. Formal coursework is balanced with workshops to practice developing skills. In addition we arrange opportunities for extended discussion with distinguished researchers. In sessions known as "Case Studies," students think critically about fashioning research careers and how to determine which scientific questions to pursue. Harvard Coursework
  
  
• Johns Hopkins School of Medicine: The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine DDCRF offers students invaluable research experience in a competitive yet nurturing academic medical institution. Students attend a two-week intensive course, Introduction to Clinical Research, focusing on epidemiological, biostatistical, and computing methods. Student also participate in the one-day Course on Research Ethics, which is designed to address key concepts in human subjects protection and ethical issues involved in research protocol development and implementation. In addition to the regular meetings, conferences, and journal clubs students attend alongside their mentors, fellows meet monthly with the CTSA funded Predoctoral Clinical Research Training Program trainees (T32) and DDCRF Program Leaders. Johns Hopkins Coursework
  
  
• Mount Sinai School of Medicine: The DDCRF Program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine offers future academic leaders rigorous training in clinical and translational research. The program consists of research and didactic components. Participants are matched to outstanding clinical research teams. They carry out independent projects, receive individualized mentoring, and attend workshops to learn writing and presentation skills. Fellows select didactic courses from the MPH and Masters in Clinical Research curricula. Lunch meetings allow contact with clinical research faculty and other fellows. To increase diversity among physician-scientists, women and students from groups traditionally under-represented in medicine are strongly encouraged to apply. Mount Sinai Coursework
  
  
• University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine: The DDCF program at UCSF is designed to be flexible and will be tailored to meet the needs of each student. UCSF offers excellent resources for student researchers: NIH-funded Clinical Research Centers, medical centers that serve different segments of the San Francisco Bay Area population, over 60 organized research units centered on specific diseases and populations, access to a wide variety of local, state-wide and national databases and research cohorts, and excellent graduate programs in basic research. Students participate in an intensive program consisting of a mentored clinical research experience, didactic course work, faculty presentations and works-in-progress sessions. Additionally, UCSF has a large and growing clinical research infrastructure overseas and funds two students per year to do research in Africa. Major collaborative projects have been established at sites in Uganda, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Areas of research interest include HIV, HIV and co-infections, malaria, and sexually transmitted infections. UCSF Coursework
  
  
• University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine: The DDCRF Program at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine provides aspiring physician-scientists with a thriving medical research enterprise in which to train. Through a collaborative effort between the student and UI DDCRF Program Directors, mentor matches are made with leading clinical investigators and researchers. In addition to mentored research, students participate in Carver College of Medicine coursework and forums designed specifically for DDCRF Program participants. In 2009, the University of Iowa ranked 12th among public institutions in NIH funding and was awarded over $228 million in NIH grants. University of Iowa Coursework
  
  
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine: The DDCRF at UNC Chapel Hill is focused on training the next generation of physician-scientists to perform translational research in a variety of disciplines. The main emphasis of the UNC program is the design, conduct and analysis of a patient-oriented research project performed under the supervision of at least one mentor. In addition to basic training in the regulatory aspects of performing research, other didactic coursework is designed on an individual basis depending on the specific background and needs of each fellow and the research project. The fellowship year also includes training in professional development topics such as presentation skills, publication preparation and designing a career path in academic medicine. In addition, the fellows’ experience is greatly enhanced by the active involvement in the program of current and past mentors and other UNC faculty, which now include DDCRF alumni who have completed their formal training and have accepted faculty positions at UNC. No coursework.
  
  
• University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: The Penn DDCRF Program is designed to provide a unique training experience to medical students with an interest in a career in clinical investigation. As one of the top academic research institutions in the country, Penn has a large number of outstanding potential mentors spanning a wide range of research areas. Our program provides a supportive environment in which students can spend a year doing epidemiology, health services, patient-oriented or translational research at Penn or in Botswana as part of our International DDCRF Program. During the fellowship, students will function as a member of their mentor's research team, take courses in epidemiology and biostatistics, and participate in events designed specifically for DDCRF students. Penn Coursework
  
  
• University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine: The University of Pittsburgh DDCRF Program involves mentored clinical research, a longitudinal seminar focused on career development and peer review, and formal coursework leading to a 15-unit University Certificate in clinical research. Ranked 6th nationally in NIH funding, we have hundreds of federally-funded faculty to choose from. The key to our Fellowship is customized mentor matching based upon each students’ area of interest and the faculty members’ track record of mentoring. This hands-on approach reflects our commitment to fostering fellows’ confidence, independence, knowledge acquisition, and research productivity and supporting their careers in clinical investigation. University of Pittsburgh Coursework
  
  
• University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas: The program is focused on providing outstanding mentored research training and access to formal didactic coursework in disciplines necessary for a solid foundation. At UT Southwestern, DDCRF students are enrolled in classes through the Department of Clinical Sciences, permitting access to a broad selection of coursework that can be tailored to the needs of the individual student. The formal coursework is further enriched by the active calendar of seminars in the Department of Clinical Sciences. Students fulfilling the requirements can earn a Basic Certificate in Clinical Research. UT Southwestern Coursework
  
  
• Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine: Applicants are required to complete a 5-page written proposal in conjunction with their chosen mentor as a part of the application process. During the summer, applicants are expected to develop two additional projects; a second project should be based on pre-existing data or should include a case report that can be completed before the end of the year. The third project is working actively with an investigator on an established protocol. Fellows meet at least bi-weekly with the program directors for approximately 2 hours to discuss principles of clinical and translational research that are pertinent to their project. Washington University Coursework
  
  
• Yale University School of Medicine: Students supported by the DDCRF Program will have an identified research project, a faculty mentor, and full access to all Yale School of Medicine educational offerings in clinical research. The program seeks to train medical students in critical thinking; to provide them with methodological skills; and to expose them to a wide range of topics so that they are prepared for the creative challenges in clinical research. All students are required to begin their year of fellowship by taking the Principles of Clinical Research course and Applied Principles of Clinical Research Seminars. Three additional courses are required, including an Introduction to Biostatistics, Ethical and Practical Issues in Clinical Investigation, and Organization and Leadership. Students also have the option of taking additional elective courses and entering the Yale MD-Master of Health Sciences joint degree program. Yale Coursework